


Chains

by idraax



Series: Old Works [6]
Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Gen, Implied Torture, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-03-22
Updated: 2011-08-30
Packaged: 2017-12-28 06:14:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 25
Words: 15,563
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/988674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idraax/pseuds/idraax
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Denmark goes looking for Germany's porn, but finds something that he didn't see coming.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a really old work which is unedited. Feedback is encouraged and greatly appreciated.

The office was as he expected it to be, immaculate. There were no papers on the desk, just a handful of pens- of different colors - in a container.  The walls were of a ghostly white and had nothing on them. Denmark headed over to the cabinets at the back of the room, shoes scruffing into the harsh surface of the standard, industrial carpet.  Denmark tugged a drawer, expecting it to be locked, only to be surprised since it came open easily. Getting over it, he started rummaging through them, tossing papers on the ground. He was in Germany's office because of a dare from England and Prussia. He had to wonder exactly _why_ Germany would hide porn in an unlocked office cabinet.  He didn't find anything in the first cabinet, nor the second. The third yielded a set of VCR tapes. Denmark didn't realize that people still used those.

"This must be some old porn Germany's got," He rolled his eyes and put the tapes into his satchel, before swinging it over his shoulder. He cast a glance around the room. Papers were scattered everywhere. Briefly, he wondered if he should attempt to organize them and then decided against it. _He'll probably think it was the cleaning staff or something._ He walked out the door without a backward glance, leaving the door open. 

He wondered if he should call Prussia and England as he opened the door of his house, but then decided against it. The tapes could be conference recordings for all he knew. He tossed his keys onto the hall table, locked the door behind him, set the satchel down and then hung up his coat. He kicked off his shoes and bent down to remove his socks. His stomach grumbled. 

"I'll eat later....I'll watch these first, just incase they turn out to be conference tapes." He picked up the satchel and walked into the living room. He was glad he had a VCR hooked up, Estonia refused to give him tech support anymore, and popped the the first tape in.

  
Seven hours later he had watched all of the tapes. Denmark got up, staggered into the bathroom and threw up. He slumped to the ground, little tremors in his shoulders. _I didn't know you could do that with a picture frame! These tapes have to be fake. There is no way that could have happened._   Denmark went back into the living room, sat down and pressed play again.

  
He didn't make it through the first tape without throwing up again. However, he had heard enough to discern that it was real. He slumped against the bathroom cabinet. _What do I do now?_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Denmark asks Norway for advice again.

As always, whenever these things happened, he picked up the phone to call Norway. The phone nearly slipped from his fingers, but he managed to hit the speed dial for Norway's number. On the sixth ring, Norway picked up.  
  
"What now Denmark?" Norway sounded as he always did when Denmark called, angry and resigned. Denmark sighed and leaned against the wall, fumbling with the cord of the phone.  
  
"I need advice Norje."  
  
He could practically hear Norway rolling his eyes. "What did you do this time?"  
  
Denmark tched and shifted the phone from one ear to another. For some reason, this was making him nervous. He took a deep breath. "Why do you always assume I did something?"  
  
"Because you always do. What happened _this_ time?"  
  
Denmark remained silent, unable to say anything. He could hear Norway sigh on the other end. "Come on. What did you need, Denmark?"  
  
Denmark, unable to hold it in, suddenly blurted it out. "I'm wondering if I should follow Germany around or not." He heard something like a groan. "I'm perfectly serious - "  
  
" _Honestly_.  Is this one of your bets again? Really, Denmark, you should - "  
  
"I'm worried about him." For a few minutes, all Denmark could hear was the tapping of Norway's fingers on the handset.  
  
"Why are you worried about Germany?" He finally asked, after a few moments.  
  
Denmark huffed into the receiver and twisted his fingers in the phone cord. ''I can't tell you." he said eventually. There was silence on the other end of the phone.  
  
"Don't follow Germany around," Norway said, after a brief lapse. "It's a bad idea."  
  
"But I need to observe him!" He was starting to wonder if talking to Norway was a bad idea.  
  
"Why?"  
  
Denmark sighed and slumped against the table. "I can't tell you."  
  
"Can't or won't? I can't help you if I don't know the reason, Denmark." Now Norway sounded aggravated.  
  
Denmark kept fidgetting with the phone cord. "To be honest, I wasn't supposed to know about it in the first place." He admitted. Norway groaned and Denmark could hear a thump.  
  
"You made a bet with Prussia and England again, didn't you?" Norway muttered. Denmark let the silence speak for him. Norway groaned again and Denmark could hear curses being muttered. "You'd better tell me the whole story Denmark." He said after a moment, and Denmark sighed.  
  
This was going to take some time.


	3. Chains part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

>  Denmark shows Norway what's on the tapes. Please skip if you don't like or scroll past the italicized bits.

They were both silent as Denmark grasped for something to say. He glanced back at the living room, where the tapes were, and then back at the phone. Norway stayed silent, letting him think. At last Denmark sighed. "You'd better come over. You should see this for yourself."

"Ok," Norway said. ''I'll be over in a bit." Denmark sighed, hung up the phone and went back into the living room to wait for Norway. Soon Norway arrived and Denmark led him into the living room.

" I would offer you something, but you won't want it after seeing these." Denmark gestured to the tapes. Norway nodded and sat down on the worn, black, leather couch. Denmark popped the first tape in and pressed play.

_The steel room was washed out from the fluorescent lighting. There was a large, metal table near the door which held all sorts of sharp objects in various shapes, several long, iron rods with shapes on one end, a blunt object with the petals closed to look like a pear, and a bottle of oil. Germany's boss was hovering over them, picking each object and carefully inspecting it. Germany was on the floor, bound by too-tight, barbed, chains wrapped around his wrists and ankles. They pricked along his nerves every time his muscles subconciously twitched; the barbs deepened preexisting wounds, causing him to shift automatically to try and remove the pain. The cycle kept driving pain farther up his arms and legs, until his whole body was screaming for mercy. "I wonder what I should do to you next," Germany's boss mused. Germany didn't make a sound. His boss picked up a large rod with a a sharp, iron point. "Let's try this shall we?" He placed the point on Germany's skin and dug in. Immediately blood welled up and steamed down Germany's arm. He thrust it in deeper and manuvered it to rip a long, sliver of flesh off.The pain was a long, sharp, river of fire that ran down his arm. He did this for a couple of times and then picked up a large pear shaped object with a lever attached to it. He pressed a button and the pear shaped object whirred and spread it's petals. "Perfect." He closed the petals and picked up the bottle. The cap came off with a loud pop, that was magnified due to the walls. He poured a little bit on the pear shaped object and capped the bottle. Then he advanced towards Germany._

_The tiles were pink, bordering on red. Germany could feel their stickness on the soles of his feet. He couldn't tell how much time had passed. He couldn't move his head due to the restaraints. They weren't there before. He was forced to stare at the gray celing. He was still on the floor bound by chains. This time the chains were wrapped in leather and then bound around his bandaged wrists. There was water dripping onto one spot on his forehead. His body twitched as he tried to move away from it. He shuddered as another drop of ice-cold water fell onto his forehead. He could feel his throat closing up and it was getting harder to breathe._

_The fluroscent light flickered intermittently. He could hear a ticking sound. Tick, tick, tick....then there was a loud jangling noise that made him jump. He tried to twist towards the sound, but the pain in his lower back made him stop. He was sure that the pear shaped object had torn his rectal walls. The light was off. The jangling got closer and closer, until he could feel it vibrate in his ears. He felt something touch him and he jolted, the pain in the base of his spine spreading outward._

Three and a half hours later, they had gotten through three tapes. ''There's more,'' Denmark said as he set the remote down.

"I know,'' Norway threw a look towards the rest of the tapes. "'I've seen enough to know why you're worried about him."

"So you agree? I should follow him around?" Denmark got up, carefully slid the tape out of the VCR and placed on the stack beside the couch.

"No" Denmark pouted. "Why not?'' Norway heard a bit of a whine in his voice. "Hasn't he been dealing with it?"

Denmark frowned. ''I don't know..."

Norway rubbed his temples and sighed. ''You are bad at following people,'' he pointed out. ''You would only bring up memories that probably shouldn't be brought up."

"I'll be careful, I promise,'' Denmark said earnestly.

Norway continued to rub at this temples. "Remeber the time you decided to follow Sweden around?" Denmark nodded. ''You nearly started another war between you two."

Denmark's shoulders slumped and he looked tired. "I _need_ to make sure he's alright Norge. I have a bad feeling about this. You know how Prussia's always ridiculed him in meetings....I just..." He gave Norway a look he couldn't resist.

"'All right'' Norway sighed ''I'll help you out."

"Thanks Norge'' Denmark grinned.


	4. Chains part 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Denmark and Norway head towards Germany's house. For those of you who didn't read the last chapter, a brief summary: Denmark and Norway watch the tapes. Norway tries to talk Denmark out of following Germany, but Denmark convinces Norway that it's a good idea.

A day later, Denmark and Norway walked towards Germany's house.  "You know Germany won't be home, right?" Norway asked him.

Denmark grinned and scratched the back of his head. ''I know, but Prussia might be and he'll know where Germany is.''  Norway stared at him, causing Denmark to shuffle his feet. "What?''

Norway turned away. ''You had a good idea. Must be a one time thing." Denmark huffed and started to walk faster. They crossed the river and headed towards the two large towers that stood out from the rest of the landscape. They passed several shops and houses and turned down a street.

"What are you going to tell Prussia?" Norway asked as they walked beneath the trees.

"Uhh, that I was in the area and wanted to drop by?" Denmark didn't have a clue on what he should say to Prussia. Norway rolled his eyes and gave the sky an imploring look. _Why do I have to deal with this idiot?_

"You have to come up with a reason for you stopping by." Denmark stopped before a bookstore and turned to face him.

''What about you?"

Norway shrugged. ''You dragged me into this. It's true."  Denmark frowned and paced, one hand on his chin.   
"I can't think of anything," he said after a couple of minutes.

"Aren't you building a tunnel into Germany?"

"Yeah, now help me think of an idea!"

Norawy rubbed at his temples again. ''Just tell Prussia that you need to talk to Germany about the tunnel."

Denmark stopped pacing and grabbed him by the shoulders. 

''Nor, you're a genius! Come on!" He grabbed Norway's arm and procceded to drag him down the street.  



	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Denmark and Norway arrive at Germany's house and Prussia plans a prank

Soon they were standing infront of the house. It was the cleanest house on the block.It was two stories high and had a small hedge infront of it. They walked up the stone path and knocked on the door. After the third knock Prussia yanked open the door. He looked like he had just gotten out of bed.

"What?" He growled.

"Do you know where Germany is?" Norway asked with a long suffering look.

Prussia rolled his eyes. "He's where he always is-at work. I cannot believe you came all the way over here to ask me this."

Norway glared and freed his arm from Denmark's grip. "This _moron_ forgot about this wonderful invention called the _phone_."

"Hey!" Denmark opened his mouth to say more, but Norway stamped on his foot and gave him a look that said _say another word and I turn you into something cute and fluffy and give you to Sweden._

Prussia laughed. ''Figures. Had too many beers again Denmark?" Denmark gave him a weak smile, which Prussia took for a yes. ''Anyway, as long as you're here..."

"Yes?" Denmark was wary, he didn't want a repeat of Prussia's dare.

''Help me prank Germany." Prussia tossed an arm around Denmark's shoulder and ushered him inside. Norway followed.

"What are you trying to do?" Denmark asked as they walked to the kitchen.

Prussia grinned making both Denmark and Norway take a step back. "I am going to rig the sound system and all of the clocks to go off at the same time!"

"What do you want him to do?" Norway asked; he sounded bored already.

"I need both of you to help me change the sound levels."

"What do we change them to?" Denmark asked. He didn't have a good feeling about this.

Prussia waved a hand. "It doesn't matter. The more random the better." He glanced at the clock; it was five thirty. "Hurry up, he'll be home in half an hour." Denmark and Norway traded looks. They did not like the sound of this. Prussia lifted the hall clock and adjusted the gears at the back. He glared at them. "Come on, get moving." They both relectuantly moved to adjust the volumes on each device they came across, while Prussia watched their every move.

Soon it was five. After they had finished setting up the prank, Prussia had led them into the kitchen and gotten them beer. Both Denmark and Prussia downed theirs while Norway sipped his. Prussia perked up as he heard a key click in the lock and the door open. Norway and Denmark looked towards the door.

"Three...two...," Prussia whispered.

The moment Germany stepped into the hallway, the sound exploded. It schreeched along his nerves and vibrated within his bones. He heard his briefcase drop. Thud. The sound sent a ripple of pain down his neves. _Hurts._ Scream. He curled up into a ball, shaking, his hands over his ears. He squeezed his eyes shut. Clattering, more noise. Back in the room again. The rod searing on his flesh. Footsteps, another scream. More pain. His wrists burned. A hand on his shoulder. _No more pain._ He flinched and tried to twist away. Something on his wrists. _Stop!_

The noise stopped.

"I didn't know he'd have that kind fo reaction," he heard Prussia yell from somewhere beyond him. The hand on his shoulder moved to rub circles on his back.

"Hey," a voice said, " you with me?" He blinked and opened his eyes. Denmark was hovering beside him.

"You said he was acting strange. Shouldn't you have expected this?" He could hear a calm voice arguing with his brother. _Norway_

He swallowed and licked his lips. "Wha-," he attempted to croak.

"It was supposed to be a prank," Denmark's voice was soft, even. "It was Prussia's idea." Germany groaned and attempted to sit up. His muscles tremebled and the movement sent a spasm of pain down his spine.

"Hey, hey, don't try to move yet!" Denmark's voice held a panicky tinge. Germany ignored it and forced himself to his feet. He swayed as he took a step forward and had to grab onto the wall. Denmark got up and gently took a hold of his wrist. Germany flinched. Denmark loosened his grip slightly, but not enough for Germany to free his wrist from the grip.

"Come on, let's sit back down." He carefully took Germany's other wrist and maneuvered them so that they were sitting on the floor. Germany's wrists shook. Little trembles that quickly made their way to his shoulders. Denmark gingerly tightened his grip.

"It's ok, just take deep breaths. It's ok."


	6. Part 6

  
They stayed like that for an indeterminable amount of time. Prussia and Norway finished arguing and came out of the kitchen. Prussia was muttering curses under his breath. Germany flinched and tried to extricate himself from Denmark's grip.

"It'll be ok." Denmark's tone stayed even.

"What the hell's wrong with you?" Prussia yelled. "You can't handle a little noise?" Germany flinched, the trembles turning to shudders. Prussia snorted. "You're such a scaredy cat." he muttered. "Seriously, being afraid of a little noise." Germany took a deep breath and extricated himself from Denmark's now lax grip. He moved across the room and picked up his briefcase. It shook a little in his hands.

"I'm just a little stressed Prussia." He said. "It's been a long day."

"I still think you're a pansy."

Germany sighed and rubbed his temples. He looked at Norway and Denmark. "Sorry, you had to see this."

"Yeah, see you acting like a pasny." Prussia added from behind them.Germany ignored him.

"Did you want to discuss something?" He asked Norway. Norway shook his head.

"It can wait until another time." he said as he grabbed Denmark's arm. "We'll come back another time." He proplled Denmark out the door, ignoring Denmark's protest. "Have a good evening.'' he said and shut the door behind them.

Once they were far away from the house, Norway let go of Denmark's arm. Denmark sighed and rubbed his arm.

"Geeze Nor, I think you cut off my circulation."

''Sorry'' They walked in silence for a while. The streets of Bonn changing around them.

"How could he do that Norge?" Denmark broke the comfortable silence between them.

Norway blinked. "Who did what?"

Denmark scuffed his shoe on the sidewalk. "How could Prussia do that?" Norway's look said to elaborate. ''How could he yell at Germany like that?"

Norway sighed. "It's Prussia'' he offered as an explanation.

"Sweden and I don't argue like that." Norway stops and turns to look at him.

"You can't compare your relationship to Sweden to Prussia's with Germany's. It's too different." he said and sighed. "Come one, let's get home before it gets dark."

They split up at Denmark's house. Norway promised that he'd meet him tomorrow. Denmark felt very exhausted and wanted nothing more to go to bed. However, as soon as he crossed the threshold, the phone rang. Denmark swore, tripped and crashed into the table. The phone dangled infront of him.

"Hello" he grumbled.

"Denmark?" Finland's voice sounded apologetic.

"Yeah" Denmark grunted.

"Sorry to call you so late" here Denmark glanced at the clock. It was nine-thirty. "but," Finland continued, "we have a meeting tomorrow."

Denmark sighed. "Is it a world meeting."

"Yeah, sorry. America forgot to inform us that he had scheduled one this week."

Denmark moaned and flopped back onto the floor. ''What time is it?"

''It's in Belgium at eight. Sorry"

"It's all right, not your fault America's an idiot. I'll see you all then, I guess."

"Yeah" Finland sounded tired too. "Goodnight"

"Night Finland" Denmark got up and put the phone back in the receiver. He muttered a curse, shook is head and went into the kitchen to make dinner.


	7. Part 7

 The meeting started off on a relatively quiet foot. Since it was early, most of the nations were half asleep and America was nowhere to be seen.

"Where is that idiot?" England muttered. He looked tired and didn't even bother to stop France from poking at his arm.

"I don't know. Al said he'd be here soon." The nation next to him, the America lookalike--Denmark couldn't remember his name--yawned and rested his head on the bear he had with him. Denmark glanced around the table. Finland was sleeping on Sweden's shoulder, Greece was napping on Turkey's and the Italy brothers were dozing on each others. He didn't see Germany anywhere, nor Prussia. Norway caught his eye and they traded a worried glance across the table.

Soon, Prussia and Germany entered, arguing quietly in German. Prussia glared at him and left to sit by France and Spain. Germany sighed and looked around for a place to sit. South Italy had woken up and was glaring at him, there was a reserved sign on the seat next to Turkey's that said Egypt on it and the last, empty seat was near Denmark.

Denmark looked at Germany as he took the seat next to him. "What was that all about?"

"Just local issues," Germany replied, "Hesse wants to keep the money again." Denmark nodded. Everyone knew of Hesse's tendency to hoard money. He was similar to Switzerland in that way.

"You feeling alright?" Denmark asked him. Germany looked at him a little warily.

"I'm fine," he replied. "Thank you for your concern."

All of a sudden, America burst into the room making everyone jump. "Let's get started everyone!"

England looked up. "Next time talk to us before scheduling anything you bloody git!"

America rolled his eyes. "It's not my fault you didn't pay attention to my speech Iggy. You should have paid closer attention!" England sputtered and sat-up.

"Alright! Let's start!" America said and launched into his speech.

When lunchtime rolled around, Denmark made a beeline for Norway. He slung an arm around Norway's shoulders and steered him towards the buffet table. "Let's have lunch together Norge!" Norway merely sighed and picked up a plate.

Once they had finished getting their food, they found a small table in a corner and sat down to eat.

"He's nervous.'' Denmark said after a couple moments of them just eating.

Norway put his fork down. "Germany, I assume." Denmark nods. Norway took another bite of his food.

"It makes sense now.'' Denmark said quietly. Norway nodded and waited for him to continue. ''I want to help him.'' Norway set the fork down again and waited for Denmark's inevitable question. "How do I help him?"

Norway sighed. ''You aren't supposed to know about this in the first place." he pointed out. Denmark frowned. ''However, you do."

"Should I talk to him about it?" Denmark asked, absently playing with his fork.

Norway shook his head. ''No, you'll just make things worse if you do that."

"So what do I do?"

Norway took a deep breath and leaned back. ''I suggest just observing him for now.'' he said.

Denmark sighed. ''Well, you won't know how to help him if you don't observe him first." Norway replied. ''Observe him first and then make a plan." Denmark nodded. They finished eating their food and soon the lunch break was over. They headed back to the room running into disgruntled nations along the way. No one was very happy to be here today.

Thankfully, the meeting ended early and they were able to leave.

"Denmark!" Prussia's voice called from behind him. He turned around. Prussia was headed towards him with England in tow.

''Er.." Denmark started.

''I'll talk to you later,'' Norway told him and headed towards Iceland. Denmark turned back to Prussia and England.

"So did you find 'em?" Prussia asked as soon as he had caught up with Denmark.

"Find what?"

"Germany's porn stash," England grumbled. He sounded like he was regretting the bet.

"You did, didn't you?" Prussia looked at Denmark, waiting for an answer. "I knew it would be in his office. I looked everywhere at home for 'em."

Briefly, Denmark wondered if he should tell Prussia about what he had found in Germany's office, then decided against it. Prussia didn't seem to care very much about Germany and showing him the tapes could make their relationship worse.

"Sorry," Denmark lied, ''I only found some conference tapes. I didn't find anything else."

Prussia groaned. ''If they're not in his office, where else would he have kept them?" Both Denmark and England shrugged.

"No idea,'' England said sounding gleeful. ''He didn't find anything. It's your turn to pay for drinks next time." he told Prussia. Prussia groaned again, but agreed.


	8. Part 8

A couple of days later, Prussia knocked on Denmark's door. Denmark opened it, blinking in the bright sunlight.

"I want beer,'' Prussia said. Denmark groaned and glanced at the hall clock.

"You ask me for beer at ten in the morning?" Denmark asked. "What's wrong with you?"

Prussia shrugged. ''I want beer,'' he said, ''and Germany kicked me out of the house for the day.'' Denmark sighed, but let him in anyway.

''I don't have any in the kitchen, so lemme check the basement. You can wait in the kitchen,'' Denmark said as he opened the basement door. Prussia frowned.

''Who the hell doesn't keep beer stocked in their fridge,'' he muttered. He stayed in the kitchen for a few minutes, tapped his fingers on the table and then quickly got bored. He got up from the table and went into the living room. _He won't mind if I sit on the couch. It's comfier._ He sat on the couch and put his feet on the metal coffee table infront of it. Then he noticed that the light on the VCR was blinking.

''The hell,'' he muttered and picked up the remote.

Meanwhile, Denmark was looking for the beer. The basement was big and cluttered. Denmark cursed as he tripped over weapons and furniture.

''Now where did I keep that fridge?" he wheezing. He tripped over one, particularly large sword and fell, tossing up centuries of dust. I should clean this thing. He took a deep breath and coughed again. He didn't know how long it had been. _Prussia must be getting impatient by now. He probably would have wandered out of the kitchen by now....Oh, shi-the tapes! I forgot to put them away._ Denmark swore and quickly made his way back to the stairs. He rushed up them and into the living room.

Prussia was frozen, the remote dangling from his fingertips. The tape played on the screen in front of him. Denmark avoided looking at it and shut off the VCR. The screen went black and Prussia blinked.

"Denmark,'' he said slowly, ''where the hell did you get this from?"

Denmark sighed and sat down in the armchair adjacent to the couch. ''They were in your brother's office.''

"What? Why would he-" Prussia groaned. ''Of course....he knew I wouldn't touch his office...'' He gipped his hair and took several deep breaths.

"Everything makes sense now..." he said. ''The way he was acting, why he seemed to never sleep, even the _cleaning_.'' Denmark shrugged.

''He was good at hiding it?'' he suggested. Prussia snapped his head up to look at him.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me?" He threw the remote at Denmark's head. Denmark dodged it and it clattered to the floor.

"It wasn't my secret to tell," he said weakly.

" _Bullshit_ ," Prussia snarled, "I'm your best friend. You should have told me!" He reached for the book that was on the coffee table and hurled it at Denmark's head. Denmark ducked.

"I wasn't supposed to know about it in the first place!" he defended. Prussia eyed the table underneath his feet. Denmark did not like that look.

"Prussia," he started, "don't-"

"Shut up." He got up and gripped the underside of the table. Denmark grabbed his axe from it's resting place beside the TV and held it infront of his face.

"Please don't throw that," he begged, "Sweden's going to kill me if anything happens to it."

"Too fucking late." Prussia threw the table at Denmark's head. Denmark swung the axe and the table shattered, peices of glass flying everywhere. Prussia lowered his arms, panting.

"I would have wanted my brother to tell me," Denmark said quietly into the silence, "If something like this had happened to him." Prussia moaned and sumped onto the ground, back resting against the base of the couch. He buried his head in his hands.

"I should have seen it. I'm his _brother,_ " he muttered, more to himself than Denmark. Denmark put the axe back, picked up the remote, set it on the TV and then walked over to crouch beside Prussia.

"You haven't been acting like it in a while," he said.

Prussia looked up at him. "What?"

"You used to call him by a nickname in meetings, you never do anymore," Denmark said. "You always disparage him. You fight with him, you play pranks on him without thinking of the consequences-"

Prussia held up a hand. "I get it. I get it." He slumped back, further onto the floor. "What do I do now?"

Denmark shrugged. "Just be there for him?" he suggested.

Prussia stared at him. "How the hell do I do that?"

Denmark gave him a look. "I have no idea."

Prussia tugged at his hair. "Great, just great. I find out my brother's been tortured and r-r-r...." he dug his nails into his arms. "I can't say it."

Denmark was at a loss. "We could ask Norway," he suggested, "he always knows what to do."

"Norway knows." Prussia's tone was flat.

"I trust him." Denmark said. "I needed advice."

"Who else knows?"

"No one." Denmark replied. ''I didn't want to have it spread. Who knows how everyone would react." Prussia nodded. Both of them could think of nations that would take advantage of this.

"I'll call Norway." Denmark said and got up from the armchair. He walked into the hallway and picked up the phone.

 

Norway groaned as the phone rang. He reached for the handset and picked it up. ''What now Denmark?" he could hear a suprised gasp.

''How'd you know it was me?"

"You're the only one who calls me this often." he stirred the pot on the stove and turned down the flame. "What do you need?" He could hear Denmark's sigh on the other end. "What happened Denmark?"

"Prussia knows." Norway needed to sit down. He made his way to the dining table and sank into a chair. "Nor are you still there?" came Denmark's concerned voice from the handset.

"Yeah, I'm here," he replied. "What did you say?"

"Prussia knows," Denmark repeated. "I forgot to hide the tapes," he said a little sheepishly.

Norway sighed and brought a hand up to his temple. "Do you want me to come over?" he asked, already getting up from the table and turning off the stove.

"Please?" Denmark's voice was pleading.

Norway turned the lights off and grabbed his keys. "I'll be there in a couple of minutes." He could imagine the scene at Denmark's house: Prussia would be in shock and Denmark would be attempting to comfort him and failing. He hurried to the car.


	9. Part 9

An hour later he was at Denmark's house. He was grateful for the special abilities that every nation had, otherwise it would have taken him much longer to get there. He had only knocked once before Denmark opened it.

"Norge," he said with obvious relief, "thank you. I don't know how to deal with him." He opened the door further to let Norway in.

"Where is he?" Norway asked, stepping inside.

"He's in the living room." Denmark said. "He broke Sweden's gift."

Norway sighed. "He broke the table." Denmark nodded. "What's he doing now?"

"He's just sitting there. I cleaned up the glass." Denmark replied, his face taking on an anxious look. "You should have seen the way he looked Norge." Norway nodded and headed towards the living room.

"Prussia" he greeted. Prussia looked up, eyes redder than usual.

"What do we do Nor?" Denmark asks, hovering beside him. Norway moved towards Prussia.

"Get up" he said, his tone as impassive as the fijords in the north. Prussia got up. Norway pushed Denmark towards the couch. "Sit." He pointed at Prussia. "You too." They both sat on the couch; Norway paced in front of them.

"What do we do?" Denmark asked quietly. Norway let out a breath and stopped pacing.

"First," he said, "you don't confront him about this."

"What?" Prussia protested. Denmark nodded.

"It won't do any good." Norway continued. "For all we know it might make things worse." There was silence for a couple of minutes as Norway gathered his thoughts. _Sweden's better at this._ "We let him take the lead. if he shows signs of wanting to talk about it, listen. _Do not_ force him to talk about it."

"I know my brother." Prussia said. "He won't talk about it. He'll keep it bottled up until something happens. He's stubborn."

_Something already happened,_ Norway thought. "If he doesn't seem to be dealing with it, we'll consider therapy" he said instead.  
"But..."

"No, _don't_ confront him now." Norway said firmly. "Otherwise he'll withdraw from us. _Do you understand_?"

Both of them jumped at Norway's tone and nodded.

"Good," Norway said and gave Prussia a look. "Don't treat your brother like he is made out of glass. He can take care of himself."

"But," Prussia protested.

"He already has been taking care of himself. You haven't given him any help." Norway pointed out. Resigned, Prussia nodded.


	10. Chains part 10

Soon after he found out, Prussia began to notice little details. He noticed the fact that Germany never set an alarm anymore, always awake and fully dressed long before it was time for work. How he alwasys checked on Prussia before going to work, the little creak of the door, now, waking him up when it never did before.

Germany never seemed to eat. The plates of food that Prussia left out for him, on those long working nights, always untouched. He hadn't tampered with them having already learned his lesson. He also noticed the fact that Germany did not like silence. He didn't like loud noise either, but there had to be some sort of background noise or else he would start to twitch and his breathing would hitch. Prussia always turned something on after that.

And then there was the cleaning. He cleaned, constantly. In the morning he would wipe the doorknobs and the kitchen. Then in the afternoon, he would vacum and clean the bathroom. Often, Prussia wondered if he ever slept because everything was always sparkling when he woke up.

Now all of those things made sense.

 

A couple of days later Germany watched, from his seat at the kitchen table, as his brother prepared breakfast. Lately he had been acting strange, alway hovering and paying more attention to him than usual. He'd taken to calling him brother again.

"Breakfast will be ready in a moment." Prussia said, flipping the pancakes.

 _He's been so polite lately._ Germany thought. W _hat's gotten into him._ "Prussia," he said tentatively, "is something wrong?"

Prussia's grip tightened on the spatula. "Nothing's wrong." he said. Germany thought he head a tremor in his voice.

"You've been acting different." he said. "You've been calling be brother." he added, quietly. Prussia sighed and turned the stove off.

"I didn't realize," he mumbles to himself, "what he did to you."

"What?" Germany frowned. "What do you mean by that?" he asked warily. _He couldn't have meant what I thought he meant.._

Prussia sighed. "It's nothing."

"Tell me."

Prussia shook his head. "I shouldn't have said anything. Forget about it."

" _Tell me_." Germany insisted. Prussia sighed and put the pancakes on a plate.

"Forget about it, please."

" _Prussia_." Prussia plunked the plate down in front of Germany. Germany pushed it away. "I want an answer." He looked Prussia in the eyes. Prussia looked away.

"It's nothing," Prussia said. "I'm following Austria's advice that's all."

"You never follow Austria's advice." Germany said. He got up and moved towards Prussia. "What's wrong?" Prussia swallowed. He couldn't resist his brother's tone, especially knowing what he knew.

"I know, West." he said quietly.


	11. Chains part 11

  
Germany froze. "W-what?" he stuttered.

"I know." Prussia repeated. "Denmark found the tapes." he added. Germany steps back shaking.

"Denmark knows." He echoed. Prussia nodded. Germany collapsed into the chair. "Who else knows?" he asked, numbly.

Prussia winced. "Norway does."

"Anyone else?" he asked, voice steady. His hands shook and he clenched them into fists. Prussia shook his head. "Good." Germany said. "Don't worry about it, I'm fine."

Tentatively, Prussia took a step forward. "I've watched you West, you're not fine." he said.

Germany got up and edged towards the door. "I'm fine." He shook.

Prussia took another step forward. "West..."

Germany flinched. "No." He took a step back. " _I'm fine_."

Carefully, Prussia took another step forward. Germany continued to back up unitl he was in the doorframe. "It's okay, West."

 _No._ Germany shook his head. "I don't - " He shook harder. Prussia took another step forward and Germany fled.

Prussia sighed as he heard the front door open. As soon as he heard it shut, he punched the wall. "Dammit! What the hell do I do now?!" He moaned and let his head thump forward on to it.

"You are the most unawesomest brother ever, Prussia." he muttered. "Unawesomest." he didn't know how long he stayed like that, but eventually he picked up the phone and called Denmark.

"I told him." he said as soon as he heard a hello. There was a pause and then the sound of the phone changing hands.

"Didn't I tell you not to tell him?" Norway sounded resigned and dissappointed.

"It was an accident." Prussia mumbled. "I didn't mean to...what do I do now."

"We're coming over!" he heard Denmark yell in the background.

"We'll be there in a couple of minutes." Norway said. "Just stay there." he hung up the phone. Prussia sighed and placed the phone back in the receiver. There was nothing to do but wait.

It started to rain.

Germany was sitting on a bench inside a small park just outside of the city. He had his head in his hands and he was muttering under his breath. The bench was shaking along with him. The rain was soaking his thin shirt and was dripping off of his hair. His pants were plastered to his legs and the rain pooled in his shoes.

It was cold.

He didn't want to go home, but he couldn't stay here.

"I didn't want him to find out." he said to the slate sky. He hung his head and sighed. It continued to rain. Germany groaned, pushed himself up, off the bench and started to walk.

He wandered around Bonn for a good couple of hours, the rain a constant companion. The beat of the city calmed him down somewhat, until he almost felt like going home again. And then he saw Denmark.

Denmark was walking through the streets, anxiously looking in every alleyway and shop he passed. He was muttering to himself in Danish. By this time there was no one out on the streets. The rain was increasing. Germany took another step and tripped over the curb. At the thud Denmark looked around. The minute Denmark spotted him, his entire face changed. He hurried over to Germany.

"What are you doing out here?" Germany pushed himself up to his feet. He shuddered and swayed. The world tilted around him and he grabbed onto a pole for support. Denmark's hand touched his shoulder and he flinched at the warmth.

"Denmark" he acknowledged.

"Your brother told us what happened." Denmark said softly. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Thank you for your concern." Germany removed his hand from the pole and took a step forward. Immediatedly, the world dipped around him. The colors blurred together and the rain intensified until it was millions of needles piercing his skin. He gasped and grabbed onto a pole again.

"You're not fine." Denmark said. He slipped of his coat, ignoring Germany's flinch, and draped it over Germany. Absently, Germnay tugged it closer and wrapped himself in it. Denmark's mouth twiched and he slung an arm around Germany's shoulders. "Come on, let's go back." Germany didn't move. Instead he shook his head. Denmark's frown got deeper and he sighed. "We don't think any less of you, you know."

Germany stared at him. " _What?_ "

"We don't pity you." Denmark said firmly. "We want to help you." Germany blinked, water tracks on his face.

"I deserved it." he said. It was Demark's turn to be suprised.

" _What?_ "

Germany swallowed and studied Denmark. Denmark did his best to look non-threatening. Germany took a deep breath and started to speak.

"He was selling weapons to Madagascar." He began. Denmark didn't interrupt him. Instead he let Germany gather his thoughts.

"No one in the government knew..." he curled his fingers more tightly around the pole. "And then, I found out. At first I wasn't sure that he was the one selling weapons, but then I started looking in to it..." he took a, shaky, breath.

"It was true." he continued. "He was selling weapons. So, I made a copy of the documents, encryped them and sent them to Switzerland." He took a deep breath and rested his forehead on the pole. "And then I confronted him."

Denmark nodded, but stayed silent. "I showed him my proof and asked him if it was true. He said it was and said that I shouldn't show it to anyone. I told him that I wasn't going to keep it to myself and started to leave. Then he knocked me out." Denmark took a sharp breath.

"When I woke up he had me chained in that room and he...he..." Germany's voice broke and he shook harder. Denmark squeezed his shoulder and Germany jumped. He curled up around the pole, reminding Denmark of a scared cat.

"It's ok." Denmark said, careful to keep his voice calm. "You don't have to talk about if you want to."

Germany nodded, but didn't uncurl himself from the pole. Gingerly, Denmark touched his forehead. It was cold and clammy. "We'd better go back, you feel like you're coming down with something."

Gently he unwrapped Germany's fingers from the pole and and tugged him. Germany followed, slowly uncurling himself. He took a step forward and nearly fell. The world was a colorfull roulette around him. Denmark pulled him closer.

"You have been out here too long." he grunted. Germany just leaned on him.

"Sorry" he mumbled.

"Nah, don't worry about it. Prussia's a moron." Germany nodded against his shoulder. "Come on," Denmark said and led them down the streets, "let's get you home."

The rain finally stopped.

 

 


	12. Chains part 12

Once Germany had dried off, eaten and been tucked in, which Prussia insisted on doing, Prussia joined Norway and Denmark in the living room.

"Thank you for finding him." he said to Denmark. Denmark nodded and leaned against the wall.

"You have to be careful in what you say to him from now on." Norway said, eyes intent on both of them.

"Why?" Denmark felt his fingers twitch. _I wish I had my axe so I could hunt this boss guy down._ Norway laid a hand on his arm and gave him a look.

"He knows that you know now." he said, patiently. "He's going to be worried about what you think of him from now on."

"I told him that we didn't pity him." Denmark said. The other two stared at him. Denmark shifted under their gazes. "What?"

"You had another flash of insight...this must mean you are going to mess up badly soon." Norway said.

Prussia frowned. "I hope it's not going to be related to West in any way." Inwardly, Denmark shivered at the look in Prussia's eyes. Abruptly he pushed himself off the wall and folded his arms. Norway's grip tightened.

"Do you know what happened to your old boss?"

Prussia looked away. "He's in jail. They used the excues of embezzling money to get him a sentence." His hands clenched. " I wanna kill him."

"Let me join you." Denmark said. Norway sighed and stepped between them and the door.

"No one is going anywhere." he said calmly. "Killing the old boss will not help anything."

"But" both of them protested.

"Let's not rush into things." They trade glances.

"Good idea Norge, we should plan first." Denmark said.

Norway rubbed at his temples again. "That is not what I meant."

"Then what did you mean?" Prussia's tone had an edge to it.

"Revenge will not help your brother." Norway settled into the doorframe and fiddled with his hair clip.

"I wanna make sure that the damn fucking bastard _never_ hurts West again."

"He's in jail. That should be enough." Prussia growled and Denmak shifted closer to Norway. His fingers twitched and he really wished he had his axe with him.

"What if he gets out of jail? What then? He'll come back for West, I just know it!"

"Then you let the police deal with him." Norway said firmly. "That _is_ what they're there for. You should focus on helping your brother. "

"This is helping him!"

Norway shook his head. "It won't. You need to be there for him, not attemping to kill your old boss."

"You don't think I can kill him." Prussia snapped. He looked ready to lunge for Norway's throat.

"He didn't mean that Prussia." Denmark stepped between them. "He meant that we should focus on helping Germany first."

Prussia took a deep breath and let the tension in his shoulders go. "Right. Help West first." His scowl turned into a look of worry. "Will he _want_ to talk to me?" Norway let out a breath and leaned agains the doorframe. Denmark stepped back and stood next to him.

"Give it time," Norway said, " through time, he'll feel more comfortable talking to you about it."

Prussia nodded and glanced out, at the sky. "It's late. You staying for dinner?"

Norway shook his head. "We should get going. Finland invited us for dinner."

"Alright then." Prussia walked them to the door. After they had left, he closed the door and slumped agains the doorframe. He stayed there for a few minutes, just settling into the silence. Then he pushed himself up and snuck into Germany's bedroom, where he would watch him sleep for the rest of the night.


	13. Chains part 13

Dinner with the rest of the Nordics was a relatively noisy affair. Denmark was making up stories for Sealand with Iceland interjecting occasional commentary. Finland was busy telling Sweden all about his day and Norway just sat back and watched them interact. It had been a long day and it was nice to be back in a comfortable environment. He had already finished dinner and was falling asleep at the table.

A poke startled him awake. He blinked and looked around.

"Falling asleep Nor?" Denmark grinned at him.

Norway nodded. "It's been a long day." Finland leaned around the doorframe.

"Denmark, come help me in the kitchen," he called.

"Coming!" Denmark yelled back. He turned back to Norway. "Don't fall asleep ok." He sauntered into the kitchen.

In the kitchen, Finland was putting food into containers. He gestured Denmark over to the sink. "Can you start on the dishes?"

"Sure." Denmark picked up the sponge, squeezed a bit of soap on to it and then picked up a dish.

"Don't break them again," Finland said, reaching up to grab another empty container.

"I only did that once!" Denmark protested. Finland rolled his eyes and spooned the potatoes into the container.

"You broke all of my dishes last time!"

Denmark snorted and rinsed the dish off. "I break one dish set and you never let me forget it. Come on! I won't break 'em, I promise."

"Fine, fine," Finland grumbled good-naturedly. "I wanted to talk to you about something anyway."

"I'm listening." Denmark picked up another dish and started scrubbing.

Finland put the container and turned to him. "Is everything alright with you? You haven't been acting like yourself."

Denmark's shoulders tensed. "I'm fine," he said.

"Really?" Finland sounded skeptical.

"Yeah, I'm just.....trying to help a friend that's all."

Finland put the salmon in a container and put it in the fridge. "Really? You're usually never so serious when helping someone out."

"It's a delicate issue," Denmark said and then immedately winced. Now Finland definitely knew that something was up. That didn't sound like Denmark at all.

"What happened Denmark? You can tell me." Finland used his best persuasive tone. Denmark shook his head and dried another dish. Finland frowned. "I'm just worried about you, Denmark."

"It's just...I'm not sure how to help them..."

"Do you want to explain it to me?"

"I don't think I should..." Denmark shut the tap off and wiped his hands.

"Tell me Denmark." Finland had that tone of voice again; the one that said _answer me because otherwise, I can make life go very badly for you._ Denmark sighed, Nor's going to kill me, but gave in.

 

Later, after Iceland, Norway and Denmark had gone home, Finland joined Sweden and Sealand in the living room.

"What was that all about?" Sweden asked. "You were talking to Denmark for a long time." Finland let out a breath and flopped onto the couch.

"I found out why Denmark's been acting strange." Sweden gave him an inquisitive look. Finland glanced at Sealand and then back at Sweden. I'll tell you later, his look said. Sweden nodded and went back to his book.

About halfway through the movie, Sealand fell asleep. After Finland had lain down a blanket and tucked him in, he started telling Sweden the entire story. Sweden listened; Finland couldn't read the look on his face. Denmark hadn't gone into detail; a fact for which Finland was grateful. Sweden's fingers were tight around the book in his hands and the spine was a little bent. Finland himself was twisting his hands together. Finally, the story was finished. They sat in silence for a while. Finland absently picked at the threads on the blanket.

"Denmark didn't give you all of the details?" Sweden asked after a while. Finland shook his head.

"I didn't ask." Sweden nodded and placed the book on the coffee table.

"Let's keep an eye on them." Finland nodded in agreement. Sweden got up from the couch, stretched and picked Sealand up. Finland walked them to the door.

"Have a good night," he said, giving Sweden a wan smile. "Sorry, that we didn't have such a great evening."

Sweden shifted Sealand and clasped Finland's shoulder with his other hand. "It's all right. Have a good night." He turned and headed towards his car. After they had left, Finland went back inside and let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. _This isn't going to turn out well._


	14. Chains part 14

A couple of days later, Prussia had invited himself over for dinner again. Austria sighed and regretted not getting the key back from Prussia when he had moved out. Hungary was over for dinner too. She was currently glaring at Prussia from across the table. Austria was glad that he had confiscated her frying pan before they had all sat down.

"I noticed that you have taken my advice Prussia," Austria said as he, delicately, cut his meat.

Prussia paused, fork in front of his mouth. "Yeah, it was useful." He took a bite of the meat and set the fork back down.

"You never take Roderich's advice." Hungary narrowed her eyes at him.

Prussia shrugged. "If I didn't, We-Germany would have thrown me out sooner or later. It was simply self-preservation."

"Then why were you about to call him 'West'?" Austria dabbed his mouth with a napkin.

"I was not."

"You were," Hungary countered.

"You misheard."

"I did not."

"Did too."

"Did not."

"You both are being childish," Austria interjected. He took a sip of his wine and set it on the table. "Both of us heard you Prussia. What is going on?"

Prussia took a sip of his own drink. "What do you mean? Nothing's going on."

Hungary sighed and her fingers twiched. "Prussia," she said in a warning tone.

"We're merely concerned Gilbert," Austria said. "You are acting quite unlike yourself."

"Nothing is going on."

"Gilbet," Hungary said sharply, "what's going on."

"It's best if you tell us Gilbert. Elizabeta looks like she wants to hit you."

"I thought you took the pan away!"

"Cutlery works just fine." Hungary said and picked up the butter knife.

Prussia put the fork down and sighed. "All right, I'll tell you."

None of them noticed that the window was open.

 

"And you didn't notice this?" Austria broke the silence that had surrounded them. Prussia shook his head. "How could you not notice?" Austria stared at him in shock. Prussia looked at the lace, tablecloth.

"I was being an idiot." He mumbled. Hungary heard him.

"You still are." She growled and picked up the butter knife. "How the hell could you not notice it!" She flung the butter knife at him and picked up a plate. Prussia doged the knife and looked to Austria for help. Austria gave him a look and continued sipping at his wine.

"Calm down woman." Prussia said as he ducked beneath the onslaught of cutlery.

"You're his brother!"

"It's not like you didn't notice either!"

"We're not the ones who live with him." Austria pointed out. Prussia looked away.

"Rub that in a little more, will ya." He muttered.

"You should have noticed it." Hungary nodded and picked up a glass. Austria grabbed her wrist. "Not the glasses, Elizabeta." Hungary sighed, but put the glass down.

Prussia sighed. "You're right, I should have."

Both Austria and Hungary blinked. "Are you actually admitting it?" Austria was incredulous. Prussia nods and waves a fork at them. "But if you tell anyone, you'll regret it." Both of them nodded.

Meanwhile Italy, having heard enough, crept away in tears.


	15. Chains part 15

Several weeks later

The second Germany walked into the world meeting, he knew something was up. It was in the way every conversation stopped and the way everyone turned to look at him. Immediately his eyes flicked to both Denmark and Prussia. Perhaps someone they had told blabbed to the rest of the nations. He took a breath and stepped fully into the room. He could feel their eyes on him, just wanting to ask the questions that burned in their brains. Finally, after what seemed like several hours, he reached the podium.

"All right everyone let's begin." He picked up the agenda and proceded to take attendance.

Halfway through the meeting, it was break time. Germany got out of the room before the other nations could even think of cornering him. He hurried down hallways and out of the building. Briefly he thought of disappearing, no one knew this land better than him except Prussia. The idea was getting more tempting by the minute, but, unfortunately, he had a meeting to conduct and if he left, nothing would get done. He sighed, turned to go back in and stopped when he saw Denmark.

"Hey" Denmark began akwardly.

"Hello"

"I just-" Germany held up a hand.

"I don't think you told anyone who couldn't keep a secret and I know Prussia wouldn't have told anyone that he didn't trust. I don't know how they found out, but I'll deal with it." _I have to._

"Ok...I know you...good luck." Germany gave him an odd look and went back in.

Denmark stood outside, taking deep breaths.

"What were you going to say?" Denmark jumped and whirled around. Nowary was standing behind him.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Norge! You nearly gave me a heart attack!"

Norway snorted. "Not my fault you have bad hearing...so what were you going to say?"

Denmark blinked. "What was I going to say to who?" Norway gave him a look.

"Ok, ok, I was just going to tell him..." he turned red and stopped.

"What is it?"

"You're gonna think I'm an idiot again."

Norway sighed. "After all of these centuries, my opinion of you will not change that easily Danmark."

"Ok....I wanted to tell him that I think he's very strong." Denmark promptly looked down at the ground as his ears turned red. Norway was silent for a couple of minutes. Denmark's comment was turning the entire picture into a strange, new light.

"Danmark," he began carefully, " do you _like_ Germany?"  
Denmark blinked. "Of course I like him! Why else would I be concerned about him." Norway groaned and let his head thump onto the brick wall behind him.

"Never mind"


	16. Chains part 16

The meeting was almost over before America cracked and asked the question running through everyone's heads.  
"Why the hell didn't you tell us man?"

Germany blinked. "Tell you what?"

"What he did to you, you twat!" England snapped

"It wasn't a big deal."

"Not a big deal?! He tortured you for a month!" America frowned.

Germany gritted his teeth. "Thank you for reminding me."

"This could have been avoided, " Austria said. "Didn't you tell anyone what you had found out?" Next to him Switzerland shifted.

Germany shrugged. "I did. I suppose that they decided it wasn't worth looking into." Switzerland muttered something and sank into his seat.

"What was that?" Austria asked him. Switzerland looked in Germany's direction; Germany seemed to be hiding behind his paperwork.

"I didn't open the email," he admitted quietly.

Austria blinked. "Pardon?"

Switerland sighed. "Germany sent me an encrypted email that said it was important. I assumed it was plans for a meeting and didn't open it until yesterday. I didn't realize it was related to this until Italy told me on his way back home."

"Why didn't you put that it was very urgent in the subject line?" Austria asked calmly.

"How are you being so calm about this?" Switzerland hissed.

"Someone has to be." He turned back to Germany. "Well?"

"I thought that my former boss would have paid attention to it if it didn't seem routine."

"What-" Switzerland began, when Germany's phone rang.

"Excuse me, I have to take this. " Germany hurried from the room, let out a shaky breath and flipped the phone open. "Hello?"


	17. Chains Part 17

 

 

 

As his current boss talked to him, Germany got paler and paler. He slid down the wall, shaking. His heart thumped a staccato beat and his breath came in short pants. Blackness began to bleed into his vision and the phone dropped from his limp fingers. The world around him spun and he put his head down. 

_I need to get out of here_ .

He took a deep breath and looked around the hallway. Thankfully, it was empty and he gets outside the building without encountering anyone. Above him, dark clouds were gathering in the sky and he could hear a faint rumble coming from the east. The air was getting colder and the trees were rustling angrily.

 

He is halfway home before the rain starts.

 

The sky was light up with flashes of lightning and the thunder had become a constant boom. Germany stopped and watched the water run down the street and the street lamps shake and rattle. The rain lashed agains the trees and they creaked. One of the branches crashed beside him. Germany didn't notice. His mind was a mess. His boss's phone call had just made it worse. 

He supposed that his brother or Denmark-the man didn't know when enough was enough-would be looking for him. He didn't want to face anyone right now. He took a deep breath and clutched loosely curled his fingers. The block in his chest made it hard to breathe and something in his stomach was curling itself into knots. The rain soaked his skin and he shuddered. It was one of the days where he did not want to feel every centimeter of himself, yet he did. He shuddered and sneezed; he'd been out in the rain for too long.

"Germany!" He heard Denmark's voice and groaned, letting his head flop into his hands. "What the hell are you doing out here?" Denmark asked, panting slightly.

"Can't you _leave me alone_ for once." Germany snapped, suddenly angry. Denmark stepped back in su r prise.

"I'm just trying t'a," he started.

"Following me around is not helping." Germany started walking away from him. Denmark huried up to him and caught his arm. Germany whirled around and punched him. Denmark staggered back and wiped his mouth. His hand came away bloody. 

"What was that for?" he yelled.

Germany shook out his fist. "Stop trying to _help_ me! You aren't helping." 

Denmark dropped his hand."I just," he started.  Abruptly, Germany's anger gave way to exhaustion. He felt drained and wanted nothing more to go home, curl up on the couch and listen to Prussia sing drunken songs all night long. 

"Just stop." he sighed.  Denmark opened his mouth to say something and Germany held up a hand. "None of this is working. The _whole world_ knows now. My former boss just- I need-" he sighed and ran his hands through his hair. "Just stop ok." he turned his back on him and walked away, leaving Denmark to stand there, mouth open.  

 

The storm continued. 

 

By the time he recovered enough to chase after him, Germany is nearly out of sight. Denmark skidded to a stop in front of him, water rushing up in an arc from his shoes. 

"What the hell was that about?" he growled, wiping away water and a bit of blood. Germany sighed and looked away.

"Sorry about punching you."

Denmark laughed and shook his head. "Don't worry 'bout it. Nor says I need a good punch once in a while." Germany managed a faint smile at that and Denmark's grin grew wider. 

"So," he slung an arm around Germany's shoulders; Germany flinched. Denmark  
removed it  and pointed to a nearby bench instead. "Let's sit down," he suggested.  

Germany raised an eyebrow. "It's raining."

"Ok, we can stand." Then, his tone turned serious. "What happened back  there? In the meeting I mean. You looked like you were handling it well."

Germany sighed and wondered how much to tell him.  Denmark had been handling the entire situation rather well-although Norway probably had a large part in that- and would , hopefully, continue to handle it well.  Anyway, he knew the entire story already, so telling him a bit more wouldn't hurt-probably.  Germany took a deep breath and began.

_Why do I think I'm going to regret this?_

 

 


	18. Chains part 18

 

Denmark stared at him, fingers curling around an invisible axe handle. "How the hell are you so calm about this?" he demanded. Germany gaped at him. 

"Calm? You think I'm _calm_ ? I _walked_ out of the _world meeting!"_  

"Lot's of people do that." 

"I was _hosting_ !" 

"So?" 

A loud crack of lightning hit a streetlamp and glass showered down around them. A few sparks jumped out, landed on the ground and started to burn. Denmark jumped. 

"We should get out of here, before it get's worse." 

"How much worse could it get?" 

Just then, a large gust of wind toppled a tree next to them. The small electrical fire that had started as merrily sparking between the blades of grass near the broken streetlamp. Denmark backed away from the trees. 

"Forget I asked."

The rain lightened up a little and Germany took that opportunity to start walking.  "Where are you going?" Denmark hurried to catch up. Germany turned to look at him. Denmark took in the sight. Germany's hair was plastered to his skull, the individual strands outlined by the rain, his suit was dripping and he had a bone weary expression on his face. "Do you want to grab a cup of coffee?" Denmark blurted suddenly. Germany shook his head.

"I'm going home...you should probably go too, before this storm gets worse." He turned and walked away, leaving Denmark staring after him.  All Denmark wanted to do at that moment was rush up and hug Germany, but he knew Germany wouldn't take that well. Instead, he wiped rainwater out of his eyes and headed home. He had plans to make. 

  


  
Later, in the night, Prussia woke up to a weight on his chest. He blinked, shifted a little and turned the lamp on. Germany was curled up next to him, using him as a pillow. He reminded Prussia of the days long gone, when Germany was a still a little kid who used to curl up with him to let away from the storms that surrounded them. Germany shifted and mumbled something something in his sleep. Prussia frowned at the bags under his eyes. Gently, he lay back down, careful not to shift too much and turned off the lamp again. The sound of their breathing lulled him to sleep. 

  


  
The next morning, when Germany stumbled down the stairs, he discovered that Prussia had made him pancakes for breakfast. 

"You alright now West?" he asked after a few moments. Germany poked a peice of pancake with his fork. 

"Not really," he replied, then more quietly, "I'm scared." Prussia took that as his cue to shut off the stove, give him the last pancake and sit down in the chair opposite. 

"Why?" 

Germany took a breath and set the fork down. "Do you remember Barnabas Krantz?" Prussia's hands tightened around his cutlery. 

"Of course I remember him. He was our _former_ boss."  Germany let out a breath, pushed the plate away and studied the table wondering what to say. Prussia groaned and speared his pancake with the fork. 

" _Please_ tell me he didn't get out of jail. _"_ Germany's silence was answer enough. Prussia swore and tightened his grip on the knife. "I am going to _kill_ him." he said, in a tone that sounded like the clash of swords on a battlefield. "I am going to _hunt him down, find him_ and _rip his-"_  

"Brother," Germany said quitely, "you're bleeding." 

Prussia blinked. "What?" Germany pointed to the blood tricking down his wrist. "Oh...could you-" 

"Here" Germany handed him a napkin and Prussia wiped the blood away. 

"Thanks" he got up, put the knife in the sink and sat back down again. "Now, where was I?" Germany just shook his head. No matter how much things changed, the fundamentals that made Prussia would still be the same. Germany was about to answer when the phone rang. 

"I'll get it." He got up and picked up the phone. "Hello" 

"Germany?" His current boss's voice sounded worried and a bit tired. 

"Yes?" 

"Where are you?" 

He frowned. "At home, why?" 

"Good, _stay there_ ." He stiffened, his hand tightening around the receiver. 

"What happened?" 

"It'll be alright. We'll take care of it. Just _stay at home. Everything will be fine._ I have to go." She hung up and Germany was left with the dial tone ringing in his ears. 


	19. Chains part 19

 

Prussia plucked the phone out of his shaking fingers and put it back on the receiver. 

"Sit down West." He guided Germany back to the table. Germany sat down shaking.  "What did he say?" Prussia kept his tone even. Germany clasped his hands together, little trembles racing through his arms. Something was coiling around his heart and squeezing and he could hear the sound of dripping water. 

"Could you shut off the tap first?" Prussia frowned. 

"The tap's not on West." 

Germany looked surprised. "Really, I can hear dripping." He could; it seemed to be getting louder as the seconds flew by. The weight on his chest was increasing too and he could feel the metal cuffs digging into his flesh. He could smell something. It smelled like burnt flesh, smoke and blood. "Prussia," he murmured quietly, "do you smell that?" 

An amused chuckle answered him. Germany tensed. He couldn't be here. He was safe-wasn't he? 

"I'm afraid your brother's not here Ger~many. Unlike you, he's been good." He stepped forward and flicked on the light. Germany screamed. The light was blazing. It pierced his skull and burned his nerves. Germany blinked rapidly. His eyeballs felt like they were melting and he could feel something wet on his cheeks. 

"Oh, you don't like the light?" Germany shook his head. Barnabas laughed. "Then beg me to turn it off."  Germany shook his head, eyes closed tightly. The movement sent spikes of pain into his skull and he felt more wetness slide down his cheeks. "I don't hear begging." Barnabas said, stepping closer. Germany jerked as hot lava ran down his stomach and dripped to the floor below. Every single one of his nerves was screaming and something was twisting into him beneath his ribs. His throat hurt and he realized that he was whimpering. The object- _knife_ -twisted and fiery pain shot through his nerves. Germany shook. There were hands on his shoulders and a panicked voice was yelling in his ear. 

Barnabas smirked. "Now one can reach you now." He ripped the knife out and dug it into his leg. Germany jerked and strained against the cuffs that held him. The light stabbed at his eyes and he tried to squeeze them shut again. Barnabas snarled and grabbed his chin. 

"Look at it!" "Look at me! West!" Something warm was pressed against him and there was something wet dripping onto his shoulder. The warmth was nice and Germany began to relax. "That's it, come back to me West." The voice murmered against his ear. _That voice sounds an awful lot like-_  

"Prussia?"  Germany blinked. He was being hugged. 

"You back with me?" Germany frowned, his brother's voice sounded anxious and just a bit afraid. 

"...I think so....what happened?" Prussia let go of him, stood up and offered him a hand. Germany took it, wobbling a little once he was back on his feet. Prussia pushed him into a nearby chair, righted the one on the  
floor and opened the fridge. "Brother?" 

"Give me a minute West." Prussia rummaged through the fridge for a couple of moments before pulling out a can of beer, popping the cap and taking a large swig. Then he poured it into a glass, set it down on the table and pushed it towards Germany. "Drink up." Germany took a sip, the shaking in his hands subsiding a little. Prussia went back to the fridge, grabbed another bottle and sat down across from him. "You had a flashback," he said as he opened the bottle. "I was trying to snap you out of it." His voice was curt, clinical. Germany could sense the fear that lay in the tone of voice he was using. 

"Sorry," he said meekly. Prussia took a long sip. 

"Not your fault. Now, what did our boss say?" 

  
  


 

 

 

 

 


	20. Chains part 20

 

"I'm sure she's just busy." Prussia said after Germany had explained the whole story. He picked up another plate and started to wash it.

"Are you sure you don't want help brother?"

Prussia waved a hand. "Nah. I'll do an awesome job of washing these West. Besides," he added more quietly, "your hands are still shaking." Germany looked at them. His hands were twitching a little and he could almost see the outline of the cuffs. He was starting to hear dripping again and he shook his head. _I'm safe. Brother's here. I'm safe._  

"It sounded like something else." Germany said. Prussia put the plate down, turned the water off-wiping the tap to make sure it didn't drip- and hung the towel.

"She probably got called away for a meeting. You know how many meetings go on there." He dumped the bottles in the recycling bin and placed a hand on his shoulder. "But if it makes ya feel better, the awesome me will go and check up on her!" He grinned and Germany managed a smile. 

"Thanks brother." 

"Alright, but first let me call..." he scrunched up his face, thinking. Then, suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "I know, I'll call Hesse. You get along well with him, right?" 

"Er..yes, but why call Hesse?"

Prussia frowned. "I don't want to leave you alone and our boss told you to stay in the house, so..."

Germany looked concerned and a little bit alarmed. "Do you think he's going to come here?"

Prussia shook his head. "I don't think so, but it would make me feel better if you had someone with you." 

"Alright . " Prussia grinned, ruffled his hair and bounced out the door. Germany could hear him talking to Hesse in the hall.  

A few minutes later Prussia appeared in the doorway with a gun. Germany looked very alarmed by this.

"Brother...why do you have a gun?"

"Because I couldn't find the sword . " Prussia deadpanned. 

" _Sword_ ?"

Prussia sighed. "It's just a precaution ,  West. Relax...Hesse will be here any-" he was cut off by the doorbell. Germany paled and Prussia dropped a hand to his gun. "I'll get it." He hurried to the front door and opened it. Hesse, Denmark and Norway were on the doorstep. Norway looked apat h etic as usual, but Denmark had a large bruise on his face.

"Are these friends of yours?" Hesse asked, pointing at the two behind him. Prussia blinked. 

"I guess. Come in , " he stepped aside and let them in. They stepped inside, Denmark being careful not to let his bag hit the doorframe.

"Where's West ? " Hesse asked. 

"In the kitchen. I'll let him know you're here. Just stay here for right now." Prussia walked back to the kitchen. He had barely poked his head around the doorframe when a knife came hurtling at him. He yelped and ducked as the knife hit the doorframe with a thud. "That is so not how I wanted to get a haircut West." He said as he stepped into the kitchen.

"Sorry," Germany said shakily, "I thought you were someone else." 

"Hesse's here...so are Denmark and Norway..." As if on cue, they entered the kitchen. Germany winced when he saw the dark bruise on Denmark's face.

"Hey...where can I put this?" Denmark gestured to the bag he was holding. 

"On the counter....what's in it?" Prussia asked, tapping the bag. A faint metallic thunk came from the bag. 

"Nor helped me smuggle the axe over." Denmark unzipped the bag and took the axe out. "See!" Both Germany and Prussia looked around nervously. 

"Put that away before some one sees it! We don't have a permit for that thing!" Prussia hissed, glancing out the window. Denmark hastily zipped the bag back up.  "What are you two doing here anyway?"

"This idiot dragged me along."

"So, mean Norge!" Denmark whined.

"Why are _you_ here?" Germany frowned at him.

Denmark grinned and gestured to the bruise. "To show you how much it bruised. You punch really hard!"

"....sorry..."

"He's actually proud of getting punched." Norway said to no one in particular.

"Anyway, since you're here. Can I talk to you in the hall ,  Denmark?" Prussia slung an arm around Denmark's shoulders and steered him into the hallway. Germany, Norway and Hesse stared after them.

"They're going to do something idiotic , aren't they?" Both Norway and Germany nodded.

"Shouldn't we stop them?"

"My boss said not to leave the house." "There's no stopping that idiot when he gets an idea in his head."  Germany sighed. "I think I need another drink." He walked over to the fridge."Do either of you want one?" They shook their heads.

  
Soon Denmark and Prussia finished their conversation. Denmark hoisted his bag over his shoulder and Prussia was pulling on his coat.

"You're going with him?" Norway asked. _Why did I even come along? Oh yeah, to keep this idiot out of trouble._  

"Yeah...could you stay here Norge?"

"What?" 

"I need someone to keep an eye on West." 

"What about me?" Hesse frowned.

"I'd feel better if there were two of you." Germany sighed and listened to them argue. He was somewhat glad that someone would be staying with him. He felt a bit safer knowing that he wouldn't be alone-not that he'd ever tell Prussia that. 

"Allright West, we're going now." Prussia's voice broke into his thoughts. Prussia seemed to have one the argument, both Norway and Hesse were glaring at him and Denmark.

"Be careful brother."

Prussia grinned and gave him a thumbs up-something he had picked up from America. "Don't worry West, the awesome duo will be just fine!" Next to him, Denmark grinned. Germany gave them both a nervous smile. 

"Please don't do anything stupid brother."

"Don't worry so much West. We'll be fine." Prussia gave him a wave, grabbed Denmark and pulled the front door shut behind them.  The other three stared after them.

"Is there anymore breakfast left?" Hesse asked heading back towards the kitchen. 

"I'll make some more pancakes. Come on Norway.

  



	21. Chains part  21

 

Meanwhile, Prussia and Denmark were headed to the boss's office. Prussia walked quickly, eager to get the visit over with. Denmark kept pace with him easily. 

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Denmark asked after a few moments of silence.

"I hope so," Prussia muttered, scanning the streets. He turned a corner and slowed down a little. "I have to be honest with ya Denmark. There's another reason I asked you to come with me."

Denmark didn't have a good feeling about this. "What is it?" Warily, he took a step back. Prussia tapped the gun on his belt and looked directly at him.

"What exactly are your _intentions_ towards my brother?"

Denmark nearly dropped his bag. " _What?_ "

"Come on," Prussia said, "even I'm not that stupid. I've seen the way you look at him."

"I haven't done anything!"

" _Yet_ _._ _"_

Denmark sighed and put the bag down. Prussia shifted, hand tightening around the gun. "I'm not going to do anything. All I want to do is get to know him better."

"In what way? You _know_ what he's been through."  

Denmark looked him in the eye and nodded. "I do . " 

"So, you know if you hurt him..."

"I'll try not to." Prussia raised an eyebrow at the utter seriousness in Denmark's tone. Denmark looked slightly defensive. "I know I'm an idiot  
and I know I'm going to mess up, but I'll do my best not to!"

"You'd better not. Remember he's _my little_ brother and if you hurt him, I will _personally find you and twist your-"_ He stopped, seeing that Denmark looked suitably terrified. "Let's go. The sooner we get this done, the sooner we get back." He started walking again. Denmark took a couple of breaths, picked up his bag and followed.

 


	22. Chains part 22

 

It was barely half an hour after Prussia and Denmark had left, but Germany was already twitchy. Neither Hesse nor Norway were around. Hesse was in his study, talking on the phone and Norway was somewhere-Germany wasn't sure. He wandered through the house, sticking his head into rooms he hadn't had reason to venture into. Eventually, he found Norway in the library.

Norway was sitting in an old armchair, reading a copy of Hildebrandslied. He was muttering the text to himself, the syllables drawn out slightly. The German sounded different than what Germany was used to and he could feel himself relaxing. He tiptoed in, curled up on the couch near the armchair and listened to Norway read. Before he knew it, he fell asleep.

  
He woke up to the sound of the front door being kicked open.

  
Immediately, his eyes snapped open and he scanned the room. Norway was gone. Carefully, he crept up to the doorway and peered around it. The hallway was empty. He inched down it, towards the front door. He had barely reached the kitchen, when there was a crash and the sound of glass hitting wood. 

"I will not ask again. Where is _Germany_ ?" Germany jumped and ducked inside the kitchen as he heard his former boss's voice. He flattened himself against the wall, breath coming in rapid gasps. He could hear the sound of dripping again and could feel stone beneath him. He pushed himself off the wall and spun around. The carmine color seemed to brighten and spead across the stone. Germany dug his nails into his palms and closed his eyes. _Focus_  

"He's not here." he heard Norway growl. There was the sound of a slap and a snarled obscenity. Germany slid along the wall until he reached the counter. Another thump, a gunshot, Germany grabbed the meat knife from the knife stand.He nearly dropped it when he heard Hesse scream. He froze when the sound of another gunshot richoched through the house. Utter silence He took a deep breath and gripped the knife tightly. He was trembling and the world seemed to spin a little. He took another breath and shook harder. The kitchen twisted and became the room. _No!_ A crunch, the rasp of the chain on the floor, footsteps. Germany's eyes focused on the doorway. There were footsteps in his direction. He flattened himself against the wall.

"Come out Ger~ma~ny. I know you~re the~re." Germany pressed himself further into the wall. His spine ached and his nerves prickled. Barnabas's voice turned dark. "I suggest you come out Germany, unless you want to end up like your _friends_ ." Germany held his breath. The footsteps came closer. Germany slid towards the corner. The door opened.

Barnabas smiled, cruelly. "There you are." He stepped into the kitchen.

"S-stay away from me." Germany's voice shook. 

Barnabas snickered. "Look at you, _trembling_ . I haven't even done anything.... _.yet_ ."

"What did you do to Norway and Hesse?" Germany tried to put as much strength as he could into his voice.

"They're not in any _position_ to bother us."  He took another step and Germany moved towards the door. Barnabas laughed when he saw the knife. "You _can't_ hurt me. You're too terrified."  Germany took a step towards the side. _Almost there_ Suddenly, Barnabas grabbed his wrist. "Where do you think _you're_ going?" He pulled Germany towards him and licked his neck. Germany shuddered. "It's been _so long,_ since I had a _taste_ of you." he hissed, sliding a hand down to unbutton Germany's shirt. 

  
Barnabas screamed and stumbled back, clutching at his wrist. 

  
"Stay the _hell_ away from me."  Barnabas's face twisted and he lunged at Germany. They grappled, crashing into the counters and cabinets. Barnabas managed to get his gun out, but Germany's knife manuevered the gun out of his hands. Barnabas snarled and lunged at him, arms outstreched.  Germany thrust the knife up. There was a crunch and Barnabas slumped forward. Startled, Germany pushed him off. Barnabas fell onto his back, the knife pushed in, until only the handle was visible. Blood flowed down his chest and splashed onto the kitchen floor. Hesitantly, Germany stepped forward and checked for a pulse.

There was none.


	23. Chains Part 23

An hour later, Barnabas's body had been taken away. Germany had managed to hold himself together long enough to get Hesse and Norway bandaged up. Luckily, the bullets hadn't hit anything life threatening, but Norway had a large lump on his head from when he had been knocked into the wall. Hesse had handled the authorities and Germany had managed to give a statement. Luckily, since it was a case of necessary defense he wouldn't be charged with anything and the body was quickly taken away. Then, Germany had crumpled on the floor, shaking like a tree in a hurricane. Norway instructed Hesse to make some tea and had left to call Prussia and Denmark.

Prussia's cell kept ringing and ringing. Norway tapped the receiver impatiently. Prussia wasn't picking up. Norway glanced down the hallway, towards the kitchen. A few moments after Germany had started shaking, he slipped into a dialect of Silesian that neither Hesse or Norway knew. Right now, Hesse was trying to calm him down. 

Eventually Prussia picked up.

"What?" he growled. "I'm busy!"

"Barnabas was here." 

"What?" Norway heard wispering in the background and heard Prussia shush whomever was talking. Probably Denmark

"Barnabas was here. He was looking for your brother. Your brother...." Norway paused, uncertain of what to say.

"What happned? Is he alright?" Norway heard the crash of a door, rapid footsteps and then the sound of someone fumbling for the phone.

"Norje?" Denmark sounded breathless.

"Danmark? What happened to Prussia?" 

"He left in a hurry. Their boss is fine, she just has a lot of paperwork to do. What happened?" Norway could hear his voice shake. The sound of footsteps was constant and Norway could hear the faint sounds of traffic.

"Are you running?"

Norway could hear Denmark nod. "Y-yeah, he should be there any minute." Norway hung up and reached the front doorway, just as Prussia barged in.

"West!" Norway stopped him with a hand to his chest. 

"Calm down," he said sharply. 

"I have to see West!" 

"You can see him after I've talked to you." There was a crash from the kitchen and they could hear someone shouting. Prussia pushed past Norway, hurried down the hall and stepped into the kitchen. Germany flinched when he saw him and muttered something. Prussia frowned.

"Why would I hate you West?" he asked, stepping forward. "He would have hurt you again, if you hadn't." He took another step forward. Germany stepped back, blinking. "It's ok," Prussia said carefully, "I don't hate you." Gently, he hugged Germany. Germany squeezed him, tucked his head under Prussia's chin and started to cry.

Denmark snuck around them, gently grabbed Hesse and Norway's hands and tugged them out of the room.

"We shouldn't see this." Both of them nodded their agreement.

"When did you grow up?" Norway asked once they were outside? Denmark shifted.

"After...after all of you left….it was hard. Everyone expects me to be happy all the time, but during that time...that's when I grew up. You just didn't notice." Norway gave him a sharp look.

"You seem to know a lot about what Germany's going through." he said, carefully.

Denmark turned red and looked at the ground. "I read about it." he mumbled.

"What?"

"I did some research...after we talked."

Norway laughed. "The librarians must have been surprised to see you!"

Denmark grinned. "They sure were!" Then his smile fell and he turned to look at the door.

"He'll be ok." Norway said, seeing the look. "After all, he has both you and Prussia."


	24. Chains Part  24

Finally, Prussia entered the living room. Norway, Denmark and Hesse were playing a game of checkers. They looked up when he entered.  
   
"He's exhausted." Prussia said. "I sent him to bed."  
   
"I assume you'll be showing up to the next couple of meetings then?" Norway asked, getting up. Prussia nodded.  
   
"Thank you for watching him."  
   
"We didn't do much." Hesse said, putting the checkers away.  
   
"Still, thank you."  Norway winced and leaned against Denmark, who slung an arm around his shoulders.  
   
"We'll see you at the next meeting then." Norway said, shrugged off Denmark's arm and limped out the door. Denmark lingered for a moment.  
   
"He's a strong person," he said, "he'll be alright." Prussia gave him a grin.  
   
"Of course he will!" Then more quitely, he added, "Thank you." Denmark smiled and followed Norway out the door.  Hesse placed a hand on Prussia's shoulder.  
   
"I'll talk to the others about handling our domestic affairs until West feels better."  
   
"Thanks Hesse." Hesse's eyes flicked upward.  
   
"Take care of him." he said softly.  
   
"I will" Hesse squeezed his shoulder and walked towards the doorway.  
   
"I'll get Bavaria to come fix the door."  
   
"Thanks" Prussia said heading upstairs. Hesse nodded and left. Upstairs, Prussia slipped into the end room and quitely shut the door. Germany was asleep, curled up tightly beneath the blanket. Prussia smiled and picked up the book on the bedside table. He settled himself in the chair beside the bed and started to read outloud.  
   
"Alice fing an sich zu langweilen; sie saß schon lange bei ihrer Schwester am Ufer und hatte nichts zu thun. Das Buch, das ihre Schwester las…"


	25. Chains Part 25

 

 **One month later**  
   
Things had slowly gotten back to normal. The other nations still tiptoed around him-a fact for which Germany was slightly grateful- and he was actually sleeping. The thing that changed the most was his relationship with Denmark. They had started hanging out together more and Germany did like him.  
   
Currently, they were walking around Bonn. Denmark had complained that he hadn't seem the city when it was sunny. Denmark was pointing at various buildings and asking questions. Germany was smiling as he answered them. Denmark glanced at him and saw the smile. He slowed down and grew quiet. _Should I ask?_  
   
"Something the matter?" Germany asked, noticing that Denmark had grown quiet.  
   
Denmark hesitated, running his hand through his hair. "Ah...well, I just want to ask you something."  
   
"What is it?"  
   
"Do you….do you want to go for dinner this Friday, at eight?" Germany chuckled.  
   
"Denmark, you don't have to be worried about asking me to dinner; we eat dinner together all the time."  
   
Denmark winced. "I actually meant...as a date."  
   
"Oh"  
   
They walked in silence for a while. Germany mulled the idea over in his mind. He did like Denmark and Denmark had been understanding about the entire situation, never crossing boundaries and always backing off when needed. More importatntly, he felt _safe_ with Denmark. Germany stopped, realizing that he trusted Denmark on a level second to Prussia.  
   
"Germany, are you alright?" Denmark was worried; Germany had been silent for a while and Denmark couldn't guess at what he was thinking. "If you''re worried about the date thing, then forget I asked. I'm sorry if I overstepped a limit." _He really is sweet._ Germany listened to Denmark babble apologies.  
   
"Ok"  
   
"W-what?" Denmark sounded confused. Germany smiled.  
   
"Dinner on Friday at eight, right?"  
   
"Yes?" Denmark felt a wary hope beginning to grow.  
   
"I'll pick you up at seven then." Germany said and started walking again. Denmark stared dazedly after him for a couple of moments before regaining his bearings and chasing after him.  
   
"Wha? I was gonna pick you up!"  
   
"Ok, I assume you have a place in mind?"  
   
"I was gonna cook."  
   
"Really?" In all of the time that they had been having dinner together, Denmark hadn't offered to cook once.  
   
Denmark blushed. "Well, I wanted our first date to be special."  
   
"I'm sure it will be."  
   
Denmark blushed harder and walked faster. Germany chuckled and lengthened his stride to keep up.  
  
Friday  
   
Denmark met him at the door with a boquet of cornflowers.  "I'm sorry," he said, " I didn't know what to get you." Germany smiled and took the flowers. "You can wait in the living room while I go find a vase." Denmark nodded and stood, akwardly in the living room, shifting from one foot to the other.  
   
"Where's Prussia?" He asked when Germany came back.  
   
"Out drinking with France and Spain. I told him I was going out."  
   
"Oh" Germany picked up his coat and locked the door behind them.  
   
"Can I ask what you are making?" Denmark grinned and shook his head.  
   
"It's a surprise."  
   
When they got to Denmark's house, Denmark gave him beer and told him to help himself to some nuts that were set out on the side table.  
   
"I just have to heat up food." Denmark said "I cooked a lot."  
   
"I'll help," Germany offered, but Denmark waved him off and quickly escaped to the kitchen. Immediately, he dialed Norway.  
   
" _Please_ don't tell me you're calling on your date with Germany." Norway said as soon as he picked up the phone.  
   
"What if he doesn't like my cooking?"  
   
"Then he doesn't like it. Now go back to your date before he thinks that _you don't like him._ " Norway said and hung up. Denmark put the phone back and started to heat up the food.  
   
After he set the table, he called Germany in.  
   
"I could have helped." Germany protested. Denmark shook his head.  
   
"I couldn't let you do that. You're a guest." He gestured for Germany to take a seat and passed him the first dish.  
   
Dinner was cheerful, as Denmark talked and Germany listened. After dinner, they had stewed strawberries with cream for dessert. Germany told him that he liked it, which sent them into a discussion about the best way to cook strawberries.  
   
Eventually, the date was over and Denmark drove Germany home.  
   
"Thank you for dinner, I really enjoyed it. We should do it again sometime." Germany said as they walked towards his house.  
   
There was a fluttery feeling in Denmark's chest. "Which, dinner or the date?"  
   
"Both" Germany gave him a shy smile. Denmark beamed and bounced up the driveway. He stopped when they reached the door and turned to Germany.  
   
"Well," he said scratching the back of his neck, "goodnight"  
   
"Goodnight Denmark," Germany said and then leaned down, and very lightly, gave him a peck on the lips. Then he blushed, opened the door and stepped inside. Denmark's smile light up the night. He hooked an arm around Germany's neck and pulled him in for a short kiss. Then he grinned.  
   
"See you next Thursday!" He yelled, spinning around, nearly tripping over the stones as he did so,  and walking back to his car. Germany watched him go with a fond smile. They weren't in a relationship, yet, but they had started dating. It was a good start.


End file.
